While Arcanum Academy implemented crisis measures due to the Book of Calamity, various government departments in Storm City held emergency meetings overnight to discuss ways to respond to the crisis.
The Blade of Brotherhood quickly became the target of widespread scrutiny.
Ela had previously flaunted the silver blades of the Blade of Brotherhood multiple times. Not only had the city's security patrol officers seen them, but so had the Secret Intelligence Bureau.
Some of the new nobility in the city had long been displeased with the old hereditary nobles occupying positions of power without making significant contributions.
This situation gave them the perfect opportunity to denounce the Blade of Brotherhood.
Government departments across Storm City jointly issued a notice to the local chapter of the Blade of Brotherhood, demanding an explanation for Ela's theft of the "Heart of Red Dragon Nielcolone" and the Book of Calamity.
They were given a deadline to hand over the suspect and the stolen items.
Viscount Iskoran, head of the Storm City chapter of the Blade of Brotherhood, was frustrated. All he had done was give a silver blade to a powerful elven assassin to build a connection.
How had this led to such a colossal problem? However, this also proved that giving the silver blade had been a good move.
He could see that the elf Ela was likely a lone operator with no significant background. Now, she had stolen the "Heart of Red Dragon Nielcolone" from the City Alchemist Association and the Book of Calamity from Arcanum Academy.
There were even rumors that she had taken Headmaster Willard's staff. She was a treasure trove.
Viscount Iskoran ignored the notices and instead mobilized the Blade of Brotherhood's forces in Storm City to search for Ela.
This time, he was determined to find Ela and speak with her. Perhaps she could help the Blade of Brotherhood regain control of Storm City.
Lucas was aware of the upheaval his visit to Arcanum Academy had caused in Storm City, but it was not his place to worry.
Various factions were reacting to the appearance of the elf Ela and the Book of Calamity.
The Abyss Temple and all the secret societies and mystics coveting this legendary mystical artifact were also soon to make their moves in Storm City.
He spent the entire night in the secret chamber, working with Ela to modify the Rehud Staff.
After wrapping the Rehud Staff with the soft skin from under the dragon's neck, the grip felt significantly better.
The fine dragon scales had just the right balance of flexibility and hardness, providing confident feedback when wielded.
The staff's tip was embedded with a dragon tooth, secured firmly with heated dragon sinew and then cooled to tighten the binding.
The final step was to merge man and spear. This step required the use of secret arts.
Due to material limitations, the secret art Lucas could use would only grant his main body basic spear skills.
But that was better than just poking around with a spear.
The secret art: Soldier's Legacy.
The core component was a pair of iron gauntlets Lucas had found in the Whisperer's Mysterious Shop.
The inner layer was made of deerskin, and the outer layer was iron. The back of the hands bore the marks of time and battle, indicating that their previous owner had been a seasoned warrior.
These iron gauntlets had become a mystical artifact due to their former owner's battle experiences.
This type of mystical artifact was quite common, and specific secret incantations could grant the recipient certain combat skills.
Many ancient families used such secret arts to pass down their unique combat techniques through generations.
Lucas, holding the newly made Rehud Spear, stood in the recipient's position. Ela, following the secret incantation, first arranged and lit the candles.
Lucas then used a specially prepared powder to lay out a hexagram on the ground.
He placed the iron gauntlets in the primary position, then positioned a horsehair, star iron, a vial of mercury, a salt stone, and blood coral grass in the auxiliary positions.
After some thought, he replaced the star iron with the Book of Calamity.
Star iron had a wide range of quality, and while all could complete the ritual, the effects varied.
Using the Book of Calamity as an auxiliary item would ensure the highest quality results and help balance the entire ritual.
This significantly increased the completion rate of the secret art.
With such an artifact, it made no sense not to use it.
However, those who saw the Book of Calamity as a source of disaster or a sacred artifact of secret arts might have strong reactions seeing it alongside horsehair, mercury, salt stone, and blood coral grass. But Lucas felt nothing unusual about it.
It was just a mystical item, after all. In Epoch, every secret art player had a copy, and he didn't find it particularly precious or special.
With the formation, primary item, and auxiliary items in place, the ritual began.
In the flickering candlelight, the walls of the secret chamber projected a battlefield.
Two armies clashed, arrows flying, magic flashing, and heavily armored knights with lances charged at each other.
Although there was no sound, the noises of battle, explosions, and clashing metal seemed to echo in the room.
The battlefield on the walls engulfed the center of the secret chamber. Soldiers fought for their lives around Lucas.
They wore armor representing their factions and fought with swords, lances, bows, axes, and other weapons.
It was clear they were seasoned warriors, able to pick up and master any weapon from the battlefield.
The Rehud Spear in Lucas's hands began to tremble.
It resonated with the battlefield's will and killing intent, syncing with the battle techniques honed in actual combat. This resonance affected Lucas.
Caught in the battlefield illusion, Lucas felt like a soldier, wielding a spear and fighting alongside comrades.
Combat was instinctive, even though he had never used a spear before, he could wield it skillfully.
Just like when he controlled Ela, he had never used dual blades, machetes, or bows before, but knew how to use them once in his hands.
While Lucas in the illusion couldn't yet perform flashy spear techniques, the most practical and refined spear skills from the battlefield were gradually being etched into his genes.
With the spear in his hands, he could sweep through enemies or strike with precision like a seasoned veteran...
Outside the illusion, Lucas moved like a sleepwalker, wielding the Rehud Spear.
The dragon skin, sinew, and tooth used in the spear resonated with the dragon-snake tattoo on his right hand.
The dragon-snake flew out, enlarging as it coiled from the spear's base to its tip.
Lucas shook the spear, and the dragon head at the tip breathed dragon fire, extending the spear's blade by a meter.
It roared with a dragon's might, snapping Lucas out of the illusion. The secret art ritual ended, and the anomalies dissipated one by one.
On the ground, all the ritual items except the Book of Calamity turned to dust.
Lucas gripped the spear, and the dragon-snake retreated back to his hand.
"Now you are no longer the Rehud Staff. Rehud Spear doesn't seem fitting either. Let's call you the Devouring Dragon Spear, a combination of a gluttonous snake and a red dragon."
Lucas skillfully twirled the spear. He felt that spear has become a part of his body! The Devouring Dragon Spear vanished from his hand.